


Nuclear Lizard Soup for the Soul

by StormySeaWitch



Category: Glitch Techs (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Prompt Fic, Sick Fic, time jumps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:02:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29604990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormySeaWitch/pseuds/StormySeaWitch
Summary: ‘You’re not going to school today, okay?’Hector sniffed. He liked school. ‘Will my teacher be mad?’ he asked, and Emilio laughed in response.‘She won’t be mad,’ he promised his son. ‘I’ll even call the school and let them know that you’re having a sick day, okay?’Hector just nodded weakly, resting his head back on his pillow. ‘What do you do on a sick day?’Emilio thought for a moment. ‘Everyone’s sick days are different, but when I was sick, Papi would let me hang out on the couch and watch a movie, and Abuela would make me some tasty soup.’‘Can I do that?’ Hector asked, sitting up.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Nuclear Lizard Soup for the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Sick fic prompt that ended up with me watching like 3 Godzilla movies.

Five cracks open a crusty eye, only to realise that the light is making his head pound. He rolls over with a groan to check his phone – 8:35am.

‘Abuela?’ he calls, rubbing his eyes.

‘You’re up late, sleepyhead,’ his Abuela notes as she pops her head into Five’s room. ‘Oh, you look terrible.’

‘Thanks,’ Five mumbles, ignoring the tickle in his throat. ‘I think I’m sick.’

‘Call work and tell them you can’t come in today and go back to sleep. I’ll make you something to eat later... if you’re feeling up to it.’

‘Thanks, Abuela,’ he says, burying his face in his pillow. Struggling to breathe almost immediately, Five sits up and slides out of bed to adjust the curtains and block out the light. His head is throbbing, and all he wants is to go back to sleep.

But first he has to call Phil.

Five turns his screen brightness right down and dials the store, pinching the bridge of his nose as if it will stem the headache.

‘ _Hinobi Bailley, this is Nix._ ’

‘Nix, it’s Five,’ he says, reaching for the box of tissues on his nightstand. ‘I’m sick, I can’t work today.’

‘ _You sound terrible._ ’

‘Thanks.’

‘ _That’s fine, I’ll see if Venkman can cover you. Don’t stress, just feel better and let us know if you need more time off._ ’

Relief courses through Five’s body as he leans back against his headboard, adjusting his pillows to sink further into them. ‘Thanks Nix. Bye.’

Setting his phone face down on the nightstand, Five pulls his blankets up to his chin and attempts to go back to sleep.

He dreams.

#

Hector Nieves was all stuffed up.

His nose was stuffed with snot, his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and even lifting his little arms to rub his eyes was exhausting.

‘Daaaad,’ he called weakly, his voice wobbling. ‘Everything huuuurts.’

His dad was in his room in a heartbeat, lightly touching his forehead with the back of his hand. ‘You’re burning up,’ he said gently, pushing Hector’s hair back off his face. ‘You’re not going to school today, okay?’

Hector sniffed. He _liked_ school. ‘Will my teacher be mad?’ he asked, and Emilio laughed in response.

‘She won’t be mad,’ he promised his son. ‘I’ll even call the school and let them know that you’re having a sick day, okay?’

Hector just nodded weakly, resting his head back on his pillow. ‘What do you do on a sick day?’

Emilio thought for a moment. ‘Everyone’s sick days are different, but when I was sick, Papi would let me hang out on the couch and watch a movie, and Abuela would make me some tasty soup.’

‘Can I do that?’ Hector asked, sitting up.

‘Try and sleep a bit longer, and when you wake up, we’ll see what we can do, okay?’ Emilio said, kissing his son on the forehead. ‘I’ll call the school now.’

‘Okay, thanks Dad.’

Hector snuggled deep into his blankets and held his ratty stuffed Chomp Kitty close, unaware of the different sick day tradition options currently bouncing around Emilio Nieves’ head.

#

Five wakes up when his phone starts to ring, and he winces at the loud sound of the machine vibrating against the wooden nightstand.

‘H’lo?’ he yawns.

‘ _Five! Nix said you were sick, are you okay?_ ’

Five slumps into his pillows again, one arm draped over his eyes to block the offending daylight. ‘M’fine,’ he replies. ‘Just a head cold I think.’

‘ _Wanna play Smash online?’_ Miko asks, her voice just a little too chipper for Five today.

He lets her words tick over in his mind, chewing on an answer.

#

‘Your first sick day is very important,’ Emilio explained, draping Hector’s heavy blanket over his legs as he set his son up on the couch. ‘Usually, they’re always the same, so that you associate these actions with feeling better.’

Hector just blinked up at his father, his head still foggy despite his second nap.

‘So, we’ll pick a movie, and I’ll make you whatever you want to eat, how does that sound?’

Hector just nodded, leaning sideways on the couch and looking up at his dad expectantly.

‘What movie we gonna watch?’ he asked in his tiny voice.

‘I’ve got a few good ones,’ Emilio said with a warm smile, and Hector almost felt better already, considering how well his dad looked after him.

#

‘ _Earth to Five. High Five. Fiverino. **Hector??’**_

**‘** Huh?’ Five starts, blinking a few times. Had he nodded off?

‘ _I though you passed out. I was gonna call Abuela._ ’

Five lets out a noise that might be a laugh, or maybe a barking cough. ‘Sorry,’ he says, sitting up and slowly getting to his feet. ‘What was the question?’

‘ _Do you wanna play Smash or something online?’_

Five shuffles out of his room to the lounge, wearing his blanket like a cape, and flops unceremoniously down on the couch. ‘Nah, I always do the same thing when I’m sick and I’m not gonna stop now. It’s probably bad luck.’

‘ _That’s true. Well, if you get bored of sick stuff, or you need anything just text me!_ ’

‘Sure thing Meeks,’ Five promises with a yawn, reaching for the tv remote.

He knows he won’t need to call her. He has everything he needs to have a successful sick day.

Well… almost.

#

‘What’s it about?’ Hector asked, holding the dvd case gingerly in his tiny hands.

‘You’ll just have to watch and find out.’

‘Is he the bad guy?’ Hector pointed to the monster on the front cover.

‘Sometimes he’s a bad guy. Sometimes he’s a good guy,’ Emilio explained. ‘It changes each time.’

‘He’s scary looking, for a good guy,’ the child offered, putting the case on the coffee table.

Apparently, his dad used to watch this monster movie when he was small like Hector was. He’d been promised that it wasn’t scary, and that he was allowed to watch as many movies as he wanted on sick days. Hector was beginning to wonder if he could have more sick days, if it meant monster movies and hanging out with his dad.

‘Okay, are you ready?’ Emilio asked, and Hector could tell that his dad was excited, so he nodded eagerly.

‘I’m ready!’

#

Abuela pushes Five’s hair back to check his temperature, then plants a kiss right on his forehead.

‘You’re not too warm at least,’ she comments, patting his cheek and handing him the television remote. ‘Are you watching those ridiculous movies again?’

‘It’s my sick day tradition,’ Five replies with a smile, his voice catching in his throat.

‘Mhm, and I suppose you want your mum’s chicken soup?’

Five smiles up at her, batting his eyelashes dramatically.

His grandmother tuts good naturedly and fluffs his hair as she walks past.

‘Thanks Abuela!’ he calls after her. ‘Love you!’

She mutters something in Spanish under her breath, but he knows it was something along the lines of “I love you too”.

#

‘What did you think?’ Emilio asked, setting a bowl of chicken soup in front of Hector. ‘Careful, that’s hot.’

‘I thought you said he was a good guy.’

‘I said he _can_ be a good guy,’ Emilio laughed, sitting beside his son.

‘Good guys don’t smash buildings,’ Hector pointed out, fishing for a piece of carrot with his spoon. ‘Godzilla zapped people with his mouth!’

‘Okay, so he was a bad guy this time. Want me to find one where he’s a good guy?’

‘Yes please.’

‘Were you scared?’

Hector pulled a face and puffed out his chest, only to deflate a moment later as his tiny frame was wracked with coughs. ‘I’m not scared,’ he croaked.

‘Well… _I’m_ a little scared. Can I sit next to you and watch?’

Hector just nodded, reaching for his water. Emilio pressed play on the next movie in the lineup and sits down beside his son, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

‘Do you want me to hold your hand if you’re scared?’ Five whispered as the opening started to play.

‘That would be very helpful, thank you,’ Emilio replied, holding his hand out, palm up for his son to take. Hector threaded tiny fingers through his dads and squeezed once.

#

Five is sipping gingerly at the last of his soup when he feels two heavy hands on his shoulders.

‘You’re just like your dad,’ Papi says with a fondness. ‘He used to _love_ these old movies when he was sick.’

‘That’s why I watch them,’ Five says with a fond smile. ‘I wish he was here to watch them with me. There’s even a new one I haven’t seen yet.’

Papi lets go of his shoulders and walks around the couch, falling into the empty space beside Five. ‘I haven’t seen one in years. Come on, press play.’

Five hides his beaming grin in his soup mug, playing the film without another word.

#

‘How do you feel?’ Emilio asked as the credits rolled on another movie, looking down at Hector.

The child was passed out asleep against his side, mouth slack and neck bent at an awkward angle. Chuckling quietly, Emilio slowly extracted himself from his position – noting with amusement the drool stain on his shirt – and arranged Hector into a more comfortable position. He draped the blankets back over his son and sat at the other end of the couch, reaching for his phone.

‘Dad?’

‘ _How’s the kid feeling?_ ’

‘He’s passed out,’ Emilio said quietly. ‘Godzilla worked.’

‘ _Of course it did. Worked for you as a kid, makes sense it’d work for him._ ’

‘Despite everything, it’s been a good day,’ Emilio said fondly.

‘ _When he wakes up, tell him Papi and Abuela send their love._ ’

‘Of course I will.’

#

Five passes out three movies deep into his Godzilla marathon, curled up in a ball on the couch. Papi stays beside him while he sleeps, keeping one eye on his only grandson, and the other on the movies that he’d watched with his own son.

As Hector grew older and started working outside the food truck, it’s felt harder and harder for Papi and Abuela to hold onto him. But seeing Five snoring softly on the couch, a tissue held in his closed fist and his hair wild from sleep, Papi couldn’t be more proud of his grandson.

When Emilio calls later that evening, Papi explains that Five is sick and sleeping through a Godzilla movie.

‘ _Ah, Godzilla. Works every time,_ ’ Emilio laughs.

‘I told you so,’ Papi replies warmly.

‘ _Well, tell him that I send my love_.’

‘Of course I will.’


End file.
